Red Bull have turned Yuki Tsunoda into Max Verstappen’s assistant as he hunts down Lando Norris

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Max Verstappen has closed the gap on Lando Norris to just 24 points after he won the Las Vegas Grand Prix and the McLaren driver was disqualified.

It had seemed as if Red Bull’s primary focus would be on the constructors’ championship amid a three-way battle for second place also involving Ferrari and Mercedes.

But after Norris’ dramatic exclusion, the team will surely be 100% dedicated to completing one of the greatest comebacks in Formula 1 history.

The only team member who may not be enthused is Yuki Tsunoda. Already forced to play second fiddle to Verstappen, Tsunoda could now become a sacrificial lamb.

Yuki Tsunoda is only allowed to make car changes that might help Max Verstappen

Martin Brundle says McLaren have an ‘ace card’ to use against Verstappen in that it’s two against one. But Auto Motor und Sport view the situation differently.

While McLaren are splitting their resources between two drivers, all ‘1,000 people’ at Red Bull ‘work for just one driver’. They say Tsunoda has become such an afterthought that he shouldn’t even be called a ‘number two driver’.

Instead, he’s more of an assistant. He’s only ‘allowed’ to trial different set-ups and tyre choices when they may benefit Verstappen. McLaren are committed to total fairness, a philosophy that may hold them back.

In the shadow of Verstappen’s remarkable title charge, Tsunoda is fighting for his own F1 future. Isack Hadjar is expected to take his seat, which means former team Racing Bulls represent his only hope.

McLaren boss Zak Brown was right about Red Bull

Ted Kravitz feels sorry for Tsunoda and says he, like demoted predecessor Liam Lawson, may be better off at Racing Bulls. It’s hard to argue that Red Bull are giving the Japanese driver all the tools to succeed.

Laurent Mekies has a strong bond with Tsunoda and will take this into account when making his driver line-up recommendations.

But the emphasis on Verstappen is making it even more difficult for Tsunoda to maximise his weekends. That leads to underwhelming results and even more pressure in a vicious but familiar cycle.

Zak Brown has called Red Bull a one-man team whose only concern is keeping Verstappen happy. Their treatment of Tsunoda arguably proves him right.